Siding evaluation apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A siding evaluation apparatus for use in identifying a characteristic of building siding is disclosed, together with methods and systems for identifying a characteristic of building siding using the siding evaluation apparatus. The siding evaluation apparatus includes a protrusion, clip, or other means for removably attaching to building siding by friction or pressure. The siding evaluation apparatus further includes a color chart holder adapted to hold a color chart for reference. The siding evaluation apparatus is attached to the siding and may be adjusted to display the color chart, which may be photographed together with a portion of the siding. Characteristics of the siding may then be determined based upon the captured photograph and a known reference area of the color chart.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to a siding evaluationapparatus, system, and method for removably securing a color chart tobuilding siding for evaluation of the building siding.

BACKGROUND

Siding is a common building covering, frequently used in wood-framedbuildings to protect against water. Over time, ordinary weathering andother damage may degrade the integrity of building siding, which maythen require repair or replacement. Insurers may photograph damagedbuilding siding to make a record of its condition for claims adjustmentand repairs. It is also possible to use measurements of lengths ofportions of the building siding derived from an image to determine sizeof the building siding. For example, the methods described in Mauer etal., U.S. Pat. No. 8,885,916, may be used to identify a siding productusing measurements derived from an image. Such measurements require areference object of known length within the image. Additionally, becausesiding is typically installed upon the exterior of buildings, lightingconditions in which such photographs are captured can vary substantiallyover the course of seasons, days, or hours. This has been consideredacceptable because the photographs had previously been used forreference only, and human adjusters attempt to take into considerationsuch changes in lighting conditions when reviewing the photographs. Suchvariation in lighting, exposure, and camera characteristics would beproblematic if automatic processing were applied to such images,however.

In an unrelated field, color charts are used by professionals inentertainment, advertising, photography, and fine art industries. Colorcharts provide a set of known color patches for comparison againstobserved colors. Color charts frequently also provide scales of knownlength and dimensions for reference of distances within the image. Inaddition to determine size measurements of objects in captured images,color charts are typically used to check color calibration inreproductions of images or to allow a photographer to adjust camerasettings prior to image capture, which may include adjusting parametersto obtain a desired color temperature and white balance. In order to usecolor charts for measuring objects or determining colors within animage, however, the color chart must be photographed with the image.This is typically performed by holding the color chart near an object ofinterest when the image is captured. This method may require anadditional person to hold the color chart, however, which may furtherinterfere with lighting conditions (e.g., by blocking light sources orby reflection).

SUMMARY

The present application discloses a siding evaluation apparatus, system,and method for use in identifying a characteristic of building siding.According to an aspect of the invention disclosed herein, the sidingevaluation apparatus may comprise a color chart holder and means forremovably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to a first portionof the building siding. The means for removably attaching the sidingevaluation apparatus may include using at least one of pressure orfriction to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place relative tothe first portion of the building siding. The color may be adapted tohold a color chart in a manner such that the color chart and a secondportion of the building siding are simultaneously visible when thesiding evaluation apparatus is attached to the first portion of thebuilding siding. In some embodiments, the color chart holder may includethe color chart. Alternatively, the color chart holder may include oneor more hooks or other connectors to connect to one or more of a colorchart or a color chart case containing a color chart. Thus, the colorchart may be removable from the color chart holder or may be integrallydisposed within the color chart holder in a manner not adapted forremoval.

In some embodiments, the means for removably attaching the sidingevaluation apparatus to the first portion of the building siding mayinclude a protrusion or a clip. The protrusion may be adapted to beremovably inserted between rows of siding to hold the siding evaluationapparatus in place by friction or pressure. The protrusion may furtherinclude a tapered portion that is tapered to be thinner at the end ofthe protrusion away from the color chart holder, viz. the end of theprotrusion that is inserted between the rows of siding. The taperedportion of the protrusion may have a thin end away from the color chartholder that has a thickness less than 2 millimeters and a thick endnearer the color chart holder that has a thickness greater than 2millimeters. The clip may be adapted to receive the first portion of thebuilding siding to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place byfriction or pressure. The clip may receive a portion of a seam of thebuilding siding and may apply pressure to the seam to removably securethe siding evaluation apparatus. The clip may include a gap between 0.3and 3 millimeters into which the first portion of the building siding isreceived.

The siding evaluation apparatus may be constructed as a single piece ormay be formed of multiple pieces. When formed of multiple pieces, thesiding evaluation apparatus may further be configured to allow theposition of the color chart holder to be adjusted relative to the meansfor removably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the firstportion of the building siding. Thus, the siding evaluation apparatusmay further comprise an adjustable connector disposed between the meansfor removably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the firstportion of the building siding and the color chart holder. Theadjustable component may be adapted to rotate, slide, or otherwiseadjust the position of the color chart holder in relation to theposition of the means for removably attaching the siding evaluationapparatus to the first portion of the building siding. Thereby, theposition of the color chart holder may be adjusted to display the colorchart substantially parallel to the second portion of the buildingsiding by adjusting the position of the adjustable connector between thecolor chart holder and the connecting portion. Whether formed as onesolid piece or multiple pieces, however, any or all parts of the sidingevaluation apparatus may be formed of any convenient material, such assynthetic plastics, rubbers, or solid resins.

According to a further aspect of the invention disclosed herein, thesystem may comprise the following: a siding evaluation apparatus adaptedto removably attach to a first portion of the building siding andfurther adapted to hold a color chart for display in proximity to thefirst portion of the building siding; a color chart; an image capturedevice positioned to capture an image of the color chart; and acomputing device communicatively connected to the image capture device,including one or more processors and a module stored in a program memoryof the computing device that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the computing device to: receive a digital image ofthe color chart and a second portion of the siding from the imagecapture device, and determine a characteristic of the building sidingbased upon the received digital image. The siding evaluation apparatusmay be any of the embodiments of the siding evaluation apparatus asdescribed herein. The program memory may further store executableinstructions that cause the one or more processors to adjust a colorprofile of the digital image based upon the one or more known referenceareas of the color chart.

According to a further aspect of the invention disclosed herein, themethod may comprise the following: removably attaching a sidingevaluation apparatus to a first portion of the building siding;capturing an image of the color chart and a second portion of thebuilding siding using an image capture device; determining a profile forthe image based upon a portion of the captured image corresponding to atleast a portion of the color chart using one or more processors; anddetermining a characteristic of the building siding based upon thecaptured image and the determined profile using one or more processors.The siding evaluation apparatus may include a color chart holder adaptedto hold a color chart and a connecting portion adapted to hold thesiding evaluation apparatus in place by one or more connectors. Thesiding evaluation apparatus may also be any of the embodiments of thesiding evaluation apparatus as described herein. Determining thecharacteristic of the building siding may include determining one ormore of the following: a size associated with the building siding, acondition of the building siding, an age of the building siding, ordamage to the building siding. The method may further include adjustingthe position of the color chart holder to display the color chartsubstantially parallel to the second portion of the building siding byadjusting the position of an adjustable connector between the colorchart holder and the connecting portion.

Additional aspects or embodiments of the invention are described herein.The siding evaluation apparatus, system, or method may includeadditional, fewer, or alternate actions, including those discussedelsewhere herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures described below depict various aspects of the applications,methods, and systems disclosed herein. It should be understood that eachfigure depicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosedapplications, systems and methods, and that each of the figures isintended to accord with a possible embodiment thereof. Furthermore,wherever possible, the following description refers to the referencenumerals included in the following figures, in which features depictedin multiple figures are designated with consistent reference numerals.

FIGS. 1A-B illustrate a side perspective view of a siding evaluationapparatus coupled to a building siding within a system including acamera communicatively connected to a computing device, which isillustrated as a block diagram, and an exemplary photograph.

FIGS. 2A-D illustrate front perspective, side cross-sectional, and topperspective views of an exemplary embodiment of the siding evaluationapparatus for removably securing a color chart to building siding by aprotrusion.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate front perspective views and a side cross-sectionalview of an exemplary embodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus forremovably securing a color chart to building siding, in which the colorchart is removable.

FIGS. 4A-B illustrate front perspective and top cross-sectional views ofan exemplary embodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus for removablysecuring a color chart to building siding, in which the sidingevaluation apparatus is configured to clip to a seam of the buildingsiding.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of thesiding evaluation apparatus for removably securing a color chart tobuilding siding, having both clips and a protrusion.

FIGS. 6A-B illustrate perspective views of the siding evaluationapparatus removably attached to building siding.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method of using thesiding evaluation apparatus in determining a characteristic of thebuilding siding.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the following text sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construedas exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment, asdescribing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if notimpossible. One could implement numerous alternate embodiments, usingeither current technology or technology developed after the filing dateof this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined inthis patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘_’ is herebydefined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent tolimit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication,beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not beinterpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in anysection of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To theextent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent isreferred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning,that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader,and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implicationor otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element isdefined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recitalof any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim elementbe interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

FIG. 1A illustrates a side perspective view of a siding evaluationapparatus 110 coupled to a building siding 104 within a system includinga camera 106 communicatively connected to a computing device 140, whichis illustrated as a block diagram. The siding evaluation apparatus 110is disposed near a building wall 102 having building siding 104. As istypical, the building siding 104 may be attached to the wall 102 suchthat rows (or columns, squares, shingles, etc.) of the building siding104 overlap to form a repeating overlapping structure. In someembodiments, rows of building siding 104 may further have seams betweensegments or lengths of siding with the same row, where the sidingsegment joins flush with the next segment in the row or where thesegments overlap to some degree. In preferred embodiments, the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 is adapted to removably attach to the buildingsiding 104 at one or more types of overlapping portions of the buildingsiding 104. The siding evaluation apparatus 110 may include or hold acolor chart or other known reference material to be photographedtogether with at least a portion of the building siding 104 using acamera 106 or other suitable image capture device. Such captures imagesmay be used by the computing device 140 to determine characteristics ofthe building siding 104, as discussed below with respect to exemplarymethod 700 and elsewhere herein.

The siding evaluation apparatus 110 may be adapted or configured to beattached to the siding 104 by a protrusion 112 of the siding evaluationapparatus 110 or by other means. The attachment of the siding evaluationapparatus 110 may be made in such a manner that the siding evaluationapparatus 110 may be repeatedly attached to and removed from variousportions of the building siding 104 or siding of other buildings. Thus,the siding evaluation apparatus 110 may be repeatedly used to provide aknown reference in images of a plurality of buildings having siding byremovably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to a firstbuilding, capturing an image of a portion of the siding of the firstbuilding including the siding evaluation apparatus 110, then removingthe siding evaluation apparatus 110 from the first building, attachingthe siding evaluation apparatus 110 to a second building having siding,capturing an image of a portion of the siding of the second buildingincluding the siding evaluation apparatus 110, and removing the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 from the second building. Other means forattaching the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to the siding 104 arefurther discussed elsewhere herein.

The siding evaluation apparatus 110 may also include a color chartholder 114. The color chart holder 114 may be integrally formed with theprotrusion 112 or other means for removably attaching the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 to the building siding 104, or the color chartholder 114 may be connected thereto. If connected, the color chartholder 114 may be connected, either directly or indirectly, to anothercomponent of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 (e.g., the protrusion112) by an adjustable connector (not shown). Such adjustable connectormay include a joint, interlocking sliding connectors, a deformable ormalleable interconnection, or other similar means for connectingmultiple components of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 in such amanner that the position of one component (e.g., the color card holder114) may be adjusted relative to another component (e.g., theprotrusion). The color chart holder 114 may hold or contain a colorchart or other known reference material, as discussed elsewhere herein,in such a manner that the color chart or other known reference materialmay be photographed in an image that also shows at least a portion ofthe building siding 104.

The computing device 140 is illustrated using a block diagram of certainkey components, which are all well-known in the art. In someembodiments, the computing device 140 may be communicatively connectedto the camera 106 via an external connection, such as wirelesscommunication through a wireless network, wired communication through acable (e.g., a USB cable) or a wired network, or other connectionsbetween the camera 106 and the computing device 140. In otherembodiments, the computing device 140 may be disposed within the camera106, or both the camera 106 and the computing device 140 may be disposedwithin an image capture and processing device (e.g., a smartphone, atablet computer, a special purpose computing device having a camera,etc.). The computing device 140 may include one or more processors 142,a random access memory (RAM) 144, a program memory 146, an input 148,and an output 150, all of which may be internally connected via anaddress/data bus. Additional well-known components of computing systemsmay be included in the computing device 140 in some embodiments. Theprogram memory 146 may store a number of software applications orroutines that may be used to perform functions described further belowwith respect to FIG. 7, particularly at blocks 710 and 712.

FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary photograph using the siding evaluationapparatus 110, simultaneously showing the building siding 104 and thecolor chart 116 for reference. The image 150 shows a plurality ofoverlapping rows of the building siding 104, together with the sidingevaluation apparatus 110. The image 150 shows a portion of theprotrusion 112, as well as a portion of the color chart holder 114displaying a color chart 116. The color chart 116 may include one ormore known reference areas, such as color squares of known colors,vertical and horizontal scales, crosshairs, or similar referencematerial. The color squares may include a plurality of various colorshaving the same or differing areas. The vertical and horizontal scalesmay include ruled lines marked at known intervals or being of knownlength, such that distances may be determined in a standard linearmeasurement system (e.g., the SI system based on meters, or the systemestablished by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology).In some embodiments, the scales may be combined or implemented asalternating areas of a shape, such as alternating black and white areasof known length or width of a rectangle. The crosshairs or other similartarget points may be included to serve as a basis for alignment of thecolor chart 116 along multiple axes (such as horizontal and vertical) inan image having multiple dimensions. In some embodiments, the crosshairsor other target points may be used to anchor or align the captured imagein two or three dimensions.

Further embodiments of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 and its usesare discussed below. Such embodiments are presented as particularlyuseful, but the described embodiments are not intended to be limiting.Other embodiments with similar, alternative, additional, or otherfeatures will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.Additionally, the methods or uses described herein are exemplary only,and the siding evaluation apparatus 110 may be used for other similaruses.

FIGS. 2A-D illustrate views of an exemplary embodiment of the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 for removably attaching the color chart 116 ofthe color card holder 114 to building siding using the protrusion 112.The exemplary embodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110illustrated in FIGS. 2A-C shows the siding evaluation apparatus 110 ashaving integrated or fixedly connected protrusion 112 and color chartholder 114, such that the protrusion 112 and the color chart holder 114are formed as a single item or are connected in a manner not adapted tobe adjusted. The parts are illustrated in some views as though directlyjoined (by adhesives or other known techniques) for clarity of thedistinct parts, but the parts (i.e., the protrusion 112 and the colorcard holder 114) may likewise be formed as one piece. Additionally, thepositioning of the parts of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 may varyin other embodiments. The illustrated embodiment further shows the colorchart 116 integrated into the siding evaluation apparatus 110. In someembodiments, the color chart 116 may be removable from the color chartholder 114, such that the color chart 116 may be removed and reinsertedinto the color chart holder 114. In other embodiments, the color chart116 may be integrated into or irremovably affixed to the color chartholder 114, such that removal is difficult or impossible without damageto the color chart 116 or to the color chart holder 114.

FIG. 2A illustrates a front perspective view of the exemplary embodimentof the siding evaluation apparatus 110, showing the front face of thesiding evaluation apparatus 110 displaying the color chart 116. As maybe seen, the protrusion 112 protrudes from or attaches to the back faceof the siding evaluation apparatus 110, being the reverse side of thefront face displaying the color chart 116. This allows the protrusion112 to be inserted into the overlapping portions of the building siding104 to removably attach the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to thebuilding siding 104 in such a manner that the color chart 116 remainsvisible and may be photographed together with the building siding 104.

FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the exemplaryembodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110, showing theprotrusion 112 jutting from the back face of the substantially flatcolor chart holder 114. The color chart 116 is shown attached to orinserted into a depression or cavity in the front face of the colorchart holder 114, but it may instead be attached by adhesives or othermeans to a flat front side of the color chart holder 114. The protrusion112 is shown initially departing from the back face of the color chartholder 114 at an angle between thirty and sixty degrees, although otherangles may be used. The illustrated protrusion 112 then bends or curvesso that a portion of the protrusion 112 is substantially parallel to thefront face or back face of the color chart holder 114.

The exemplary embodiment further shows a tapered portion 113 of theprotrusion 112, which extends upward and outward from the back face ofthe color chart holder 114. To allow the protrusion 112 to fit within agap between overlapping segments of the building siding 104 (which gapmay be pre-existing or may be caused by insertion of the protrusion112), the tapered portion 113 may form a wedge with a thin end 121 and athick end 123. The thin end 121 has a thickness less than the thicknessof the thick end 123 along at least one axis. The thin end 121 issituated in the tapered portion 113 at the part of the protrusion 112farthest distance along the surface of the protrusion 112 from theconnection of the protrusion 112 with the remainder of the sidingevaluation apparatus 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the thin end121 is the end of the tapered portion 113 situated farthest from thearea of connection between the protrusion 112 and the color chart holder114. The thick end 123 is the end of the tapered portion 113 of theprotrusion 112 that is nearer to the remainder of the siding evaluationapparatus 110 than the thin end 121. The thick end 123 is also the endof the tapered portion 113 that directly connects with the remainder ofthe protrusion 112, if the protrusion 112 has a non-tapered portion.

The tapered portion 113 is adapted to be inserted between overlappingsections of the building siding 104. For example, the tapered portion113 of the protrusion 112 may be inserted between two rows of thebuilding siding 104 where the rows overlap. The tapered portion 113 maybe wedged between the two rows, such that it is able to hold the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 in place by friction or pressure from the tworows. To achieve a snug fit, the tapered portion 113 of the protrusion112 may be tapered within a range corresponding to the typicaldeformable gap distance between rows or other segments of the buildingsiding 104. Such deformable gap distance represents the size of a gapthat forms between segments of the building siding 104 upon applicationof an amount of force sufficient to cause a gap but insufficient tobreak or permanently deform the siding segments under ordinaryconditions. Thus, when the pressure is removed by removing theprotrusion 112, the siding segments will return to their previous state.It has been found by experimentation that a tapered portion 113 of theprotrusion 112 having a thickness varying within the range between 0 to5 millimeters performs well for a wide range of types of building siding104. In preferred embodiments, the thin end 121 is less than 2millimeters, while the thick end is greater than 2 millimeters. Inparticularly preferred embodiments, the thin end is approximately 0.5-1millimeter thick and the thick end is approximately 3-4 millimetersthick. Additionally, in some embodiments, the tapered portion 113 may bebetween one and four centimeters in length.

The tapered portion 113 of the protrusion 112 may be tapered uniformlyor non-uniformly across the length of the tapered portion 113. Inpreferred embodiments, the tapered portion 113 is uniformly tapered in alinear fashion between the thin end 121 and the thick end 123 to form awedge, is flat on each side, and has a constant breadth of the taperedportion 113. The breadth of the tapered portion 113 may be measuredperpendicular to the axis of the length of the tapered portion 113 (thevertical axis in FIG. 2B) and to the axis of the minimal averagethickness of the tapered portion 113 (the horizontal axis in FIG. 2B),along which (horizontal) axis the thickness tapers from the thin end 121to the thick end 123. Thus, in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2B, thebreadth would be measured along an axis perpendicular to the bisectingplane (of the image on the paper). In other embodiments, the breadth mayvary in a uniform or non-uniform manner.

FIG. 2C illustrates a top perspective view of the exemplary embodimentof the siding evaluation apparatus 110, showing the protrusion 112extending outward from the back face of the color chart holder 114. Thecolor chart 116 is not visible in this view. The tapered portion 113 ofthe protrusion 112 is seen along the edge of its thin end 121. In someembodiments, the tapered portion 113 of the protrusion 112 may besubstantially parallel to the face of the color chart holder 114, asillustrated. In other embodiments, the tapered portion 113 of theprotrusion may instead be angled relative to the face of the color chartholder 114. In embodiments that include an adjustable connector, suchadjustable connector may be disposed between the tapered portion 113 ofthe protrusion 112 and the remainder of the protrusion 112.

FIG. 2D illustrates a side cross-sectional view of the exemplaryembodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110, showing an adjustableconnector 111 disposed within the protrusion 112 to facilitateadjustment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110. The adjustableconnector 111 may include a hinge, sliding mechanism, or othercomponents well-known in the art. The adjustable connector 111 enables auser of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to adjust the position ofthe tapered portion 113 of the protrusion 112 relative to the colorchart holder 114. For example, the angle of the tapered portion 113 ofthe protrusion 110 relative to the color chart holder 114 may be changedby rotation of a hinge used as the adjustable connector 111. Thus, theadjustable connector 111 may be used to adjust the position of the colorchart holder 114 (and, thereby, the color chart 116) relative to theposition of the protrusion 112 or some portion thereof. For example, theprotrusion 112 may be removably connected to the building siding 104,then the color chart holder 114 may be adjusted using the adjustableconnector 111 to display the color chart 116 substantially parallel tothe building siding 104.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate views of another exemplary embodiment of thesiding evaluation apparatus 110, in which the color chart 114 isremovable. The illustrated embodiment is otherwise similar to theembodiment discussed above, having the protrusion 112 to removablyattach the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to the building siding 104.In embodiments such as the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3A-C,however, the color chart holder 114 is adapted to removably connect toand hold the color chart 116. Thus, the color chart holder 114 mayinclude hooks 115 adapted to hold the color chart 116. FIG. 3Aillustrates front perspective view of such an exemplary embodiment ofthe siding evaluation apparatus 110, showing the hooks 115 on both endsof the substantially horizontal bar forming the body of the color chartholder 114. The hooks 115 of the color chart holder 114 may be adaptedto securely hold the color chart 116 in place to be photographed withthe building siding 104, as discussed elsewhere herein. Although thehooks 115 are shown on the horizontal sides of the color chart holder114, the hooks 115 may instead be positioned at other locations (e.g.,the top and bottom of the color chart holder 114). Additionally, inother embodiments, the hooks 115 may be replaced by other means forremovably connecting the color chart 116 to the color chart holder 114(e.g., using one or more suction cups, supports, flaps, magnets, etc.).

The exact dimensions of the hooks 115 and other portions of the colorchart holder 114 may vary across embodiments. In some embodiments, thecolor chart holder 114 may include extendable or retracting adjustableportions (not shown) to adjust the distance between the hooks 115 orother means for connecting the color chart 116 to the color chart holder114. Such adjustable portions may allow the color chart holder 114 tohold a plurality of color charts 116 of different sizes or dimensions.

In some embodiments, the color chart may include a protective case 117,as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The color chart 116 may include a color cardor image contained within a support structure, such as a hard plasticcase. The case or other support structure may protect the color cardfrom damage or environmental conditions. For example, the color chart116 may be a color chart with a case, such as the ColorChecker Passport(Model No. MSCCPP) sold by X-Rite, Inc. In embodiments including a caseor support structure, the hooks 115 or other means for connecting thecolor chart 116 to the color chart holder 114 may connect to the case orsupport structure of the color chart 116. As illustrated in the frontperspective view of FIG. 3B and the cross-sectional side view of FIG.3C, the hooks 115 may be configured to hold the color chart 116 byhooking to or pressing on a part of the case or support. Also asillustrated, the case or support of the color chart 116 may include ahinged connection configured in such a manner as to facilitate theopening and closing of the color chart 116 while held by the color chartholder 114. Thus, the color chart 116 may remain connected to the colorchart holder 114 when opened or closed, allowing the color chart 116 tobe closed to protect the one or more color cards within the case in someembodiments.

Although the embodiments described above have included the protrusion112 for attaching the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to the buildingsiding 110, the siding evaluation apparatus 110 may include additionalor alternative means of connecting to the building siding 110 byfriction or pressure. FIGS. 4A-B illustrate views of an exemplaryembodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 in which the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 includes clips 118 configured to clip to a seamof the building siding 104. The exemplary embodiment is illustrated ashaving hooks 115 to connect to the color chart 116, as described above,to more clearly show the clips 118, but other types of color chartholders 114 may likewise be used in embodiments of the siding evaluationapparatus 110 having clips 118. FIG. 4A illustrates a front perspectiveview of the exemplary embodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110,showing the clips 118 attaching to the back face of the color chartholder 114. FIG. 4B illustrates a top cross-sectional view of theexemplary embodiment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110, furthershowing the position of the clips 118.

The one or more clips 118 may be adapted to to receive the portion ofthe building siding 104 to hold the siding evaluation apparatus inplace. In preferred embodiments, the clips 118 may be configured toreceive a portion of a seam between segments of the building siding 104,such as a seam between segments within a row of the building siding 104.The portion of the seam may be received into a gap of the clip 118.Thus, the portion of the seam received may be a first portion of thebuilding siding 104 that overlaps a second portion of the buildingsiding 104, where the overlapping first portion covers the overlappedsecond portion, which overlapped second portion is closer to the wall102. The clips may be configured such that the portion of the seamreceived is substantially parallel to the color chart holder 114 and,thereby, to the color chart 116 (when include in or held by the colorchart holder 114). To clip the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to theseam or other portion of the building siding 104, one or more clips 118may be adapted to apply a pressure to the received portion of thebuilding siding 104 when it is inserted into gap to hold the sidingevaluation apparatus 110 in place relative to the building siding 104.In some preferred embodiments, the gaps of the one or more clips 118will be between 0.3 and 3 millimeters distance when no pressure is beingapplied. Thus, the received portion of the building siding 104 will beheld securely by the clip 118 by the application of pressure resultingfrom a deformation of the clip 118.

To facilitate a secure attachment, the clip 118 may be adapted to bulge,taper, or angle at the outer edge that first receives the receivedportion of the building siding 104 in order to create a pressure point119. The pressure point 119 of the clip 118 may be the point where thegap is the narrowest when the clip 118 is at rest (i.e., when nothing isinserted into the clip 118) or when in use (e.g., when the receivedportion of the building siding 104 is inserter into the clip 118). Thus,the pressure point 119 may apply the greatest pressure to the receivedportion of the building siding 104 to limit slipping and to hold thesiding evaluation apparatus 110 more securely in place relative to thebuilding siding 104. In preferred embodiments using clips 118 havingpressure points 119, the gaps may be between 0.5 and 2 millimeters atthe pressure points 119.

Although the clip 118 is illustrated as having a gap between a portionof the clip 118 and a portion of the color chart holder 114, the clip118 could further include multiple grasping portions that include a gapbetween them, such that the multiple grasping portions together exert apressure upon the received portion of the building siding 104 wheninserted between two or more of the multiple grasping portions. Forexample, the clip 118 may include multiple gaps between multiplegrasping portions, wherein at least two gaps are of differentdimensions. Thus, the clip 118 may be adapted to receive multiple typesof building siding 104 of different thicknesses. Additionally, oralternatively, a plurality clips 118 may be disposed within the sidingevaluation apparatus 110. Such plurality of clips 118 may include clipshaving gaps of different widths or different configurations or widths ofpressure points 119. Such plurality of clips 118 may also be configuredto permit attachment to the building siding 104 at various locationsrelative to the color chart holder 114.

In further embodiments, the clip 118 may include a spring or similarfeatures adapted to allow the clip 118 to form a gap into which thereceived portion of the building siding 104 may be inserted and to applypressure to the received portion of the building siding 104. In suchembodiments with springs or similar features, the gap may not existunless a pressure is applied (e.g., by a user opening the clip 118, bythe insertion of the received portion of the building siding 104, etc.).When such an actively grasping clip 118 is not is use, therefore, no gapmay be apparent. For example, the clip 118 may include a spring (notshown) that applies a pressure to cause the pressure point 119 to pressagainst a portion of the color chart holder 114 unless the force appliedby the spring is overcome by a user or by insertion of some materialinto the clip 118.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a particularly preferredembodiment of the of the siding evaluation apparatus 110, having both aprotrusion 112 and clips 118. In this exemplary illustration of thepreferred embodiment, the protrusion 112 and two clips 118 protrude fromthe back face of the color chart holder 114. The protrusion 112protrudes from the back face of the color chart holder 114 and curvesupward in a vertical direction. The protrusion 112 also includes atapered portion 113, as discussed elsewhere herein. The two clips 118protrude from the back face of the color chat holder 114 such that gapsare formed between a portion of the clips 118 and a portion of the backface of the color chart holder 114. The pressure points 119 of the clips118 are located approximately at the horizontal ends of the color chartholder 114. Also located at the horizontal ends of the color chartholder 114, two hooks 115 are located at or extend from the front faceof the color chart holder 114. The hooks 115 are configured to pointinward towards each other in order to securely connect to (or grasp) thecolor chart 116 when inserted between the hooks 115. The color chart 116is not shown in FIG. 5 in order to better illustrate the other features.The removable color chart 116 is shown connected to the color chartholder 114 of the siding evaluation apparatus 110 in FIGS. 3B and 3C.Returning to FIG. 5, he color chart holder 114 may thus be said to beprimarily horizontal, having its greatest length in that direction. Thecolor chart holder 114 may be substantially flat along its front andback faces, excepting the hooks 115, forming a rectangular cuboid havinga horizontal length greater than either its vertical height between itstop and bottom faces or its thickness in depth between its front andback faces. One or more notches 125 may be added to the color chartholder 114 to aid in removing the color chart 115 from the color chartholder 114. This embodiment, like the other embodiments herein, isexemplary only, and other embodiments having additional, fewer,alternative, or similar features fall within the scope of the inventiondescribed herein.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate perspective views of the siding evaluationapparatus 110 removably attached to building siding 104. These figuresillustrate the exemplary siding evaluation apparatus 110 of FIG. 5without the color chart 116, which representation is for the sake ofclarity only and is not intended to be limiting. The dashed lines withinthese FIGS. 6A and 6B represent obscured or covered portions, includingoverlapped portions of the building siding 104 and portions of theprotrusion 112 and clip 118 obscured by the building siding 104.Although the building siding 104 may be attached to a wall 102, the wallis also not illustrated for the sake of clarity. In the manner describedbelow, the siding evaluation apparatus 110 may be removably attached orsecured to the building siding 104. Moreover, the siding evaluationapparatus 110 may be removably attached or secured to a plurality ofportions of building siding of one or more buildings at different times.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, the protrusion 112 may be inserted betweenoverlapping segments of the building siding 104. The tapered portion 113of the protrusion 112 is illustrated as being inserted or wedged betweena top row 104A and a bottom row 104B of the building siding 104. The toprow 104A overlaps a portion of the bottom row 104B, with or without agap between them. When a portion of the protrusion 112 is inserted underthe overlapping portion of the top row 104A and over the overlappedportion of the bottom row 104B, the protrusion 112 wedges between therows. Thus, the insertion of the protrusion 112 between the rows 104Aand 104B creates pressure upon the protrusion 112 and the rows 104A and104B. This pressure then holds the siding evaluation apparatus 110 inplace by friction between the protrusion 112 and the rows 104A and 104Bof the building siding 104. While the siding evaluation apparatus 110 isthus held in place relative to the building siding 104, the color chartholder 114 may hold the color chart 116 (not shown) to be displayed inproximity to at least a portion of the building siding 104. The colorchart 116, thus held in place by the color chart holder 114, may bephotographed using the camera 106 or other image capture device.Additionally, or alternatively, the color chart 116 may be used forcalibration or comparison purposes without being photographed. When thecolor chart 116 is no longer needed, the siding evaluation apparatus 110may be removed by pulling the siding evaluation apparatus 110 todislodge the protrusion 112 from between the top row 140A and the bottomrow 104B of the building siding 104.

As illustrated in FIG. 6B, one of the clips 118 may receive a portion ofthe building siding 104 to removably attach the siding evaluationapparatus 110 to the building siding 104. The clip 118 may receive aportion of the building siding 104 at a seam between two segments. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the seam between segment 104C and segment104D of the building siding 104 includes a portion where the segment104C overlaps segment 104D within the same row. In other embodiments,the building siding 104 may include non-overlapping seams. As shown, theclip 118 is positioned around a portion of the segment 104C at the seam,such that the portion of segment 104C is received into the gap betweenthe clip 118 and the back face of the color chart holder 114. When thesegment 104C is thus inserted into the clip 118, the tension in the clip118 generates pressure, which is applied to the segment 104C at thepressure point 119. This pressure holds the siding evaluation apparatus110 in place relative to the building siding 104. As discussed above,the color chat holder 114 may hold the color chart 116 (not shown) inplace to be photographed with at least a portion of the building siding104. When the color chart 116 no longer needs to be held in place, thesiding evaluation apparatus 110 may be removed by applying a force toslide the clip 118 off of the received portion of the segment 104C todecouple the siding evaluation apparatus 110 from the segment 104C ofthe building siding 104.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 700 for usingthe siding evaluation apparatus 110 in determining a characteristic ofthe building siding 104. The method 700 may begin at block 702, in someembodiments, with connecting the color chart 116 to the color chartholder 114. Otherwise, the method 700 may begin at block 704 withattaching the siding evaluation apparatus 110 to the building siding104, as discussed above. In embodiments in which the color chart 116 maybe positioned or adjusted using the adjustable connector 111, theposition of the color chart 116 may be adjusted at block 706. At block708, the camera 106 or other image capture device may be used to capturean image of the color chart 116 and at least a portion of the buildingsiding 104. At block 710, the captured image may be processed by thecomputing device 140 to determine a profile for the captured image. Oneor more characteristics of the building siding 104 may then bedetermined by the computing device 140, using the determined profile andthe captured image. Blocks 702 and 706 may occur in another order thanthe order described with respect to the exemplary method 700. Forexample, the color chart 116 may be connected to the color chart holder114 before or after the siding evaluation apparatus 110 is attached tothe building siding 104.

At block 702, the color chart 116 may be attached to the color chartholder 114 in embodiments in which the color chart 116 does not form anintegral part of the color chart holder 114. This may be achieved usingthe hooks 115 or other connecting portions of the color chart holder114, as discussed above. In embodiments in which the color chart 116 isnot readily removable from the color chart holder 114, such as theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-D, the block 702 may be unnecessary.

At block 704, the siding evaluation apparatus 110 is removably attachedto a portion of the building siding 104, as discussed above. Theattachment is made in a manner such that the siding evaluation apparatus110 is held in place relative to the building siding 104 by pressure orfriction, as discussed above. The attachment may be made by any meansdiscussed herein, particularly by insertion of the protrusion 112between overlapping segments of the building siding 104 or by clippingthe clip 118 onto a portion of a seam of the building siding 104.

At block 706, the position of the color chart 116 may be adjusted, insome embodiments. When the siding evaluation apparatus 110 includes theadjustable connector 111, the position of the color chart 116 relativeto the building siding 104 may be adjusted. In some embodiments, thecolor chart 116 may be adjusted to be substantially parallel to at leasta portion of the building siding 104, thereby facilitating image captureof the color chart 116 together with at least a portion of the buildingsiding 104. Adjusting the position of the color chart 116 may includeadjusting the position of the color chart holder 114 relative to theprotrusion 112, clip 118, or other means of removably attaching thesiding evaluation apparatus to the building siding 104. For example, inembodiments in which the adjustable connector 111 is disposed betweenthe color chart holder 114 and the protrusion 112 or clip 118, thesiding evaluation apparatus 110 may be adjusted so that the entire colorchart 116 and the color chart holder 114 may be repositioned relative tothe protrusion 112 or clip 118. In embodiments in which the adjustableconnector is disposed within one of the protrusion 112, the color chartholder 114, or the clip 118, the adjustment may similarly be made, butsuch adjustment may not result in a relative change of position betweensome components or portions of components of the siding evaluationapparatus 110. In further embodiments, a plurality of adjustableconnectors may be included within the siding evaluation apparatus 110,thereby facilitating multiple ways of adjusting the position of thecolor chart 116.

At block 708, the camera 106 or other image capture device may be usedto capture one or more images of the color chart 116 and at least aportion of the siding 104. In preferred embodiments, this includescapturing at least one digital image that includes both the color chart116 and the portion of the building siding 104. Some embodiments mayinclude multiple images, some of which may not include the color chart116. For example, the color chart 116 may be captured in a first imagein order to provide a scale or color reference, which may be carriedover from the first captured image to another captured image. As anotherexample, the color chart 116 may be used to adjust the camera 106 orother image capture device at the time the images are taken, such thatit is not captured in any or all of the images. In most embodiments, thesiding evaluation apparatus 110 will obscure at least some of theportion of the building siding 104 to which the siding evaluationapparatus 110 is removably attached, so the portion of the buildingsiding 104 captured in the image may include a further portion of thebuilding siding 104 that is in close proximity to the point ofattachment of the siding evaluation apparatus 110. In preferredembodiments, the image may be captured as a digital image in order tofacilitate further processing.

At block 710, the computing device 140 may process informationassociated with the color chart 116 to determine a profile for the oneor more captured images. One or more modules stored within the programmemory 146 may be executed by the one or more processors 142 of thecomputing device 140 to receive and process the captured image. When thecaptured image includes at least a portion of the color chart 116, theprofile may be determined using at least a portion of the color chart116 within the captured image. For example, a scale indicating a knowndistance that is included in the color chart 116 may be identifiedwithin the captured image. The identified scale may then be used todetermine distances in one or more dimensions within the captured image.The distances may be translated into or used to determine a profile forthe captured image that indicates distances in a desired measurementsystem (e.g., millimeters or inches) within the captured image. Suchprofile may include one or more distance values associated with eachpixel dimension. For example, the profile may indicated that each pixelin the image has been determined to have an equivalent distance value of0.2 millimeters in the horizontal direction and 0.3 millimeters in thevertical direction, based upon a known scale or other portion of thecolor chart 116. As another example, one or more patches of known colormay be identified within the color chart 116 in the captured image andused to determine a color profile for the captured image. This mayinclude adjusting one or more aspects of the colors of pixels within thecaptured image to adjust for differences between cameras or lightingconditions.

At block 712, the computing device 140 may determine one or morecharacteristics of the building siding 104 based upon the one or morecaptured images and the determined profile or profiles associated withthe one captured images. Again, one or more modules stored within theprogram memory 146 may be executed by the one or more processors 142 ofthe computing device 140 to determine the one or more characteristics ofthe building siding 104. The one or more characteristics of the buildingsiding 104 may include the following: a size associated with thebuilding siding, a condition of the building siding, an age of thebuilding siding, or damage to the building siding. For example, the sizeof the siding may be determined based upon distance informationidentified in the profile based upon a portion of the color chart 116.The size dimensions may further be used to determine a type of thebuilding siding 104, which may include a general category of siding, aswell as one or more possible brands or models of siding that match thesize characteristics of the building siding 104. In some embodiments, acolor of the building siding 104 may be determined by appropriateadjustment of the captured image and the profile determined from thecolor chart 116. This information may be used to determine anappropriate color for replacement siding in order to match both the typeand color of the building siding 104. This may be particularly usefulwhere the building siding 104 has substantial weathering that hasaltered the color of the siding from its initial color. As yet anotherexample, the captured image may be processed with the profileinformation to determine a material type of the building siding 104. Forexample, the profile may indicate reflectivity information allowing adetermine of the level of reflection off the building siding 104, whichmay indicate the material of which the siding is made. For example,vinyl siding may be less reflective (or less glossy) than aluminumsiding. By using known information from the color profile 116 to correctfor differences in scale and environmental conditions, thecharacteristics discussed above or others may be determined for thebuilding siding, either automatically or with human assessment. Whenautomatically determined, the captured image may be processed by one ormore processors of a computing device, which may include using machinelearning techniques, such as support machine vectors (SMV), neuralnetworks, or random forest analysis.

Blocks 710 and 712 of the exemplary method 700 or other similar methodsmay be performed by one or more modules of the computing device 140executed by the one or more processors 142. In some embodiments, thecomputing device 140 may be disposed within the camera 106 or otherimage capture device, which may include a tablet computer or smartphone.In other embodiments, the computing device 140 may be a separate deviceconfigured to receive the captured image, which device may be a generalpurpose or special purpose computer, including desktop, notebook,tablet, mobile, or wearable computing devices.

Additional Considerations

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Additionally, certain embodiments are described herein as includinglogic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, orinstructions. These may constitute either software (code embodied on anon-transitory, tangible machine-readable medium) or hardware. Inhardware, the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performingcertain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certainmanner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., astandalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardwaremodules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group ofprocessors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application orapplication portion) as a hardware module that operates to performcertain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processor-implemented. For example, at least some of theoperations of a method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain ofthe operations may be distributed among the one or more processors, notonly residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe one or more processors, not only residing within a single machine,but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments,the one or more processors or processor-implemented modules may belocated in a single geographic location (e.g., within a homeenvironment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other exampleembodiments, the one or more processors or processor-implemented modulesmay be distributed across a number of geographic locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer) that manipulates or transformsdata represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodimentsmay be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term“coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still co-operate or interactwith each other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or siding evaluation apparatus that comprises a list ofelements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but mayinclude other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process,method, article, or siding evaluation apparatus. Further, unlessexpressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and notto an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B is satisfied by anyone of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or notpresent), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), andboth A and B are true (or present).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it isobvious that it is meant otherwise.

This detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and doesnot describe every possible embodiment, as describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. One could implementnumerous alternate embodiments, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this application.

Upon reading this disclosure, those of skill in the art will appreciatestill additional alternative structural and functional designs forsystem and a method for assigning mobile device data to a vehiclethrough the disclosed principles herein. Thus, while particularembodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, it isto be understood that the disclosed embodiments are not limited to theprecise construction and components disclosed herein. Variousmodifications, changes and variations, which will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art, may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the method and siding evaluation apparatus disclosed hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope defined in the appendedclaims.

The particular features, structures, or characteristics of any specificembodiment may be combined in any suitable manner and in any suitablecombination with one or more other embodiments, including the use ofselected features without corresponding use of other features. Inaddition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particularapplication, situation or material to the essential scope and spirit ofthe present invention. It is to be understood that other variations andmodifications of the embodiments of the present invention described andillustrated herein are possible in light of the teachings herein and areto be considered part of the spirit and scope of the present invention.By way of example, and not limitation, the present disclosurecontemplates at least the following aspects:

1. A siding evaluation apparatus for use in identifying a characteristicof building siding, comprising: means for removably attaching the sidingevaluation apparatus to a first portion of the building siding using atleast one of pressure or friction; and a color chart holder adapted tohold a color chart in a manner such that the color chart and a secondportion of the building siding are simultaneously visible when thesiding evaluation apparatus is attached to the first portion of thebuilding siding.

2. The siding evaluation apparatus according to aspect 1, wherein themeans for removably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to thefirst portion of the building siding includes a protrusion adapted to beremovably inserted between rows of siding to hold the siding evaluationapparatus in place.

3. The siding evaluation apparatus according to aspect 2, wherein theprotrusion includes a tapered portion that is tapered to be thinner atan end of the protrusion extending away from the color chart holder.

4. The siding evaluation apparatus according to either of aspect 2 oraspect 3, wherein: the tapered portion has a thin end away from thecolor chart holder and a thick end nearer the color chart holder; thethin end has a thickness less than 2 millimeters; and the thick end hasa thickness greater than 2 millimeters.

5. The siding evaluation apparatus according to any one of aspects 1-4,wherein the means for removably attaching the siding evaluationapparatus to the first portion of the building siding includes a clipadapted to receive the first portion of the building siding to hold thesiding evaluation apparatus in place.

6. The siding evaluation apparatus according to aspect 5, wherein theclip receives a portion of a seam of the building siding.

7. The siding evaluation apparatus according to either of aspect 4 oraspect 5, wherein the clip includes a gap between 0.3 and 3 millimetersinto which the first portion of the building siding is received.

8. The siding evaluation apparatus according to any one of aspects 1-7,wherein the color chart holder includes one or more hooks to connect toone or more of the color chart or a color chart case containing thecolor chart.

9. The siding evaluation apparatus according to any one of aspects 1-8,wherein the means for removably attaching the siding evaluationapparatus to the first portion of the building siding and the colorchart holder form a single piece of one of the following: syntheticplastic, rubber, or solid resin.

10. The siding evaluation apparatus according to any one of aspects 1-9,further comprising an adjustable connector disposed between the meansfor removably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the firstportion of the building siding and the color chart holder, whichadjustable connector is adapted to rotate or slide the color chartholder in relation to the position of the means for removably attachingthe siding evaluation apparatus to the first portion of the buildingsiding.

11. A system for identifying a characteristic of building siding,comprising: a siding evaluation apparatus adapted to removably attach toa first portion of the building siding and further adapted to hold acolor chart for display in proximity to the first portion of thebuilding siding; a color chart; an image capture device positioned tocapture an image of the color chart; a computing device communicativelyconnected to the image capture device, including one or more processorsand a module stored in a program memory of the computing device that,when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing deviceto: receive a digital image of the color chart and a second portion ofthe siding from the image capture device, and determine a characteristicof the building siding based upon the received digital image.

12. The system according to aspect 11, wherein the siding evaluationapparatus is adapted to removably attach to the first portion of thebuilding siding by one or more of the following: a protrusion adapted tobe removably inserted between rows of siding to hold the sidingevaluation apparatus in place or a clip adapted to receive the firstportion of the building siding to hold the siding evaluation apparatusin place.

13. The system according to either of aspect 10 or aspect 11, wherein:the color chart includes one or more known reference areas; and modulefurther causes the computing device to adjust a color profile of thedigital image based upon the one or more known reference areas of thecolor chart.

14. The system according to any one of aspects 11-13, wherein the colorchart is removably connected to the siding evaluation apparatus.

15. A method for identifying a characteristic of building siding,comprising: removably attaching a siding evaluation apparatus to a firstportion of the building siding, wherein the siding evaluation apparatusincludes a color chart holder adapted to hold a color chart and aconnecting portion adapted to hold the siding evaluation apparatus inplace by one or more connectors; capturing an image of the color chartand a second portion of the building siding using an image capturedevice; determining, by one or more processors, a profile for the imagebased upon a portion of the captured image corresponding to at least aportion of the color chart; and determining, by one or more processors,a characteristic of the building siding based upon the captured imageand the determined profile.

16. The method according to aspect 15, wherein the one or moreconnectors include at least one of the following: a protrusion adaptedto be removably inserted between rows of siding to hold the sidingevaluation apparatus in place or a clip adapted to receive the firstportion of the building siding to hold the siding evaluation apparatusin place.

17. The method according to aspect 16, wherein the protrusion includes atapered portion that is tapered to be thinner at the end of theprotrusion away from the color chart holder and wherein the taperedportion has a thin end away from the color chart holder with a thicknessless than 2 millimeters and a thick end nearer the color chart holderwith a thickness greater than 2 millimeters.

18. The method according to either of aspect 16 or aspect 17, whereinthe clip receives a portion of a seam of the building siding and whereinthe clip includes a gap between 0.3 and 3 millimeters into which theportion of the seam is received.

19. The method according to any one of aspects 15-18, whereindetermining the characteristic of the building siding includesdetermining at least one of the following: a size associated with thebuilding siding, a condition of the building siding, an age of thebuilding siding, or damage to the building siding.

20. The method according to any one of aspects 15-19, furthercomprising: adjusting the position of the color chart holder to displaythe color chart substantially parallel to the second portion of thebuilding siding by adjusting the position of an adjustable connectorbetween the color chart holder and the connecting portion.

What is claimed is:
 1. A siding evaluation apparatus for use inidentifying a characteristic of building siding, comprising: means forremovably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to a first portionof the building siding using at least one of pressure or friction; and acolor chart holder adapted to hold a color chart in a manner such thatthe color chart and a second portion of the building siding aresimultaneously visible when the siding evaluation apparatus is attachedto the first portion of the building siding.
 2. The siding evaluationapparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for removably attaching thesiding evaluation apparatus to the first portion of the building sidingincludes a protrusion adapted to be removably inserted between rows ofsiding to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place.
 3. The sidingevaluation apparatus of claim 2, wherein the protrusion includes atapered portion that is tapered to be thinner at an end of theprotrusion extending away from the color chart holder.
 4. The sidingevaluation apparatus of claim 3, wherein: the tapered portion has a thinend away from the color chart holder and a thick end nearer the colorchart holder; the thin end has a thickness less than 2 millimeters; andthe thick end has a thickness greater than 2 millimeters.
 5. The sidingevaluation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for removablyattaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the first portion of thebuilding siding includes a clip adapted to receive the first portion ofthe building siding to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place. 6.The siding evaluation apparatus of claim 5, wherein the clip receives aportion of a seam of the building siding.
 7. The siding evaluationapparatus of claim 5, wherein the clip includes a gap between 0.3 and 3millimeters into which the first portion of the building siding isreceived.
 8. The siding evaluation apparatus of claim 1, wherein thecolor chart holder includes one or more hooks to connect to one or moreof the color chart or a color chart case containing the color chart. 9.The siding evaluation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means forremovably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the first portionof the building siding and the color chart holder form a single piece ofone of the following: synthetic plastic, rubber, or solid resin.
 10. Thesiding evaluation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adjustableconnector disposed between the means for removably attaching the sidingevaluation apparatus to the first portion of the building siding and thecolor chart holder, which adjustable connector is adapted to rotate orslide the color chart holder in relation to the position of the meansfor removably attaching the siding evaluation apparatus to the firstportion of the building siding.
 11. A system for identifying acharacteristic of building siding, comprising: a siding evaluationapparatus adapted to removably attach to a first portion of the buildingsiding and further adapted to hold a color chart for display inproximity to the first portion of the building siding; a color chart; animage capture device positioned to capture an image of the color chart;and a computing device communicatively connected to the image capturedevice, including one or more processors and a module stored in aprogram memory of the computing device that, when executed by the one ormore processors, cause the computing device to: receive a digital imageof the color chart and a second portion of the siding from the imagecapture device; and determine a characteristic of the building sidingbased upon the received digital image.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the siding evaluation apparatus is adapted to removably attachto the first portion of the building siding by one or more of thefollowing: a protrusion adapted to be removably inserted between rows ofsiding to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place or a clipadapted to receive the first portion of the building siding to hold thesiding evaluation apparatus in place.
 13. The system of claim 11,wherein: the color chart includes one or more known reference areas; andmodule further causes the computing device to adjust a color profile ofthe digital image based upon the one or more known reference areas ofthe color chart.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the color chart isremovably connected to the siding evaluation apparatus.
 15. A method foridentifying a characteristic of building siding, comprising: removablyattaching a siding evaluation apparatus to a first portion of thebuilding siding, wherein the siding evaluation apparatus includes acolor chart holder adapted to hold a color chart and a connectingportion adapted to hold the siding evaluation apparatus in place by oneor more connectors; capturing an image of the color chart and a secondportion of the building siding using an image capture device;determining, by one or more processors, a profile for the image basedupon a portion of the captured image corresponding to at least a portionof the color chart; and determining, by one or more processors, acharacteristic of the building siding based upon the captured image andthe determined profile.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one ormore connectors include at least one of the following: a protrusionadapted to be removably inserted between rows of siding to hold thesiding evaluation apparatus in place or a clip adapted to receive thefirst portion of the building siding to hold the siding evaluationapparatus in place.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the protrusionincludes a tapered portion that is tapered to be thinner at the end ofthe protrusion away from the color chart holder and wherein the taperedportion has a thin end away from the color chart holder with a thicknessless than 2 millimeters and a thick end nearer the color chart holderwith a thickness greater than 2 millimeters.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the clip receives a portion of a seam of the building siding andwherein the clip includes a gap between 0.3 and 3 millimeters into whichthe portion of the seam is received.
 19. The method of claim 15, whereindetermining the characteristic of the building siding includesdetermining at least one of the following: a size associated with thebuilding siding, a condition of the building siding, an age of thebuilding siding, or damage to the building siding.
 20. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: adjusting the position of the color chartholder to display the color chart substantially parallel to the secondportion of the building siding by adjusting the position of anadjustable connector between the color chart holder and the connectingportion.